


Spark

by A Small World (Datawolf39)



Series: Caring for The Doctor [5]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Titles are hard, rated T just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-22 16:57:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22286065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Datawolf39/pseuds/A%20Small%20World
Summary: Doctor save Ryan from an undesirable fate
Series: Caring for The Doctor [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1599967
Kudos: 31





	Spark

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kinda nervous bout this one. This was supposed to be fluffy, and have abundant easter eggs, it was headed that way, and all of a sudden there was this. Let me know if this story needs more warnings on it.

"Doc are you sure that you're okay?" Graham asked.

"Course I am sure, rarely get sick, benefit of being a Time Lord, well Time Lady now, that’s gonna take some getting used to all these gender pronouns, " she said before coughing a few times.

"That doesn't sound okay to me," Yasmin said just as worried as Graham.

"I'm fine, anyway, we have bigger problems," she reminded them pointing to the town square were Ryan was being held by two huge guards and about to be married to the third princess of the Xantus.

~

"That was fun," The Doctor said after they were safe in the TARDIS and within the Time Vortex. 

"Speak for yourself, you weren't the one almost married to a kid. " Ryan said with a hint of disgust. Just thinking about it made him feel like he was going to be sick.

"Well except for that," she said coughing a bit. "and the water,” she added as an afterthought. “Next time don't propose to do random people, rarely works out, trust me."

"How was I supposed to know that picking up a scarf and handing it back with your right hand, while making eye contact was a proposal?" Ryan asked in a huff before realizing something, "wait- what did ya just say? How many times have ya proposed to people on accident?"

The Doctor actually seemed to be counting when another coughing fit came over her, this one seemed to last far longer than any of the previous ones had, which worried them all quite a bit.

"Doc, don't you have some kind of medicine you can take for that cough? It sounds worse than before,” Graham said.

"That swim in the ice water probably didn't help," Yasmin added. 

Ryan gazed at the floor sheepishly. "Thanks for doing that by the way," he said. Just as weird as the proposal, was the method for getting out of an accidental proposal. the leader of the group, all eyes had gone to The Doctor, because she just exudes authority, had to jump into freezing water and recite a holy poem that was comparable to Shakespere at his most verbose, even if it was far less elegant in prose. He wondered if the leaders of that society had been drunk when they made up the rules.

The Doctor winced after another round of coughing. "Might need some medicine," she whispered, before swaying a bit.

Graham, was the closest and he grabbed her so she wouldn't fall over. The warmth pouring off of her was rather concerning. "Let's get you to the Sick Bay."

"I'd go with, but I really want a shower, that okay?" Ryan asked, hardly taking the time to look around, before walking away.

Graham frowned something seemed a bit off.

"I'll go talk to him," Yasmin offered.

Graham nodded to her, and began to guide The Doctor down the hall.

"I can walk on my own," she told him.

"Course you can Doc," Graham replied, but he didn't loosen his grip on her.

The walk went quickly, and he silently thanked the ship for making the journey shorter than it should have been. Once she was on a bed, the ship began to guide him through making some kind of medical drink. When he had finished tossing all the ingredients into the concoction it was a dark gray color, and smelled very bitter.

"Did I do this right?" he wondered out loud whilst gazing at the small plastic cup in concern.

"If it looks like a stormy sky, and smells extra bitter, you did it perfectly," The Doctor said, before succumbing to yet another round of coughing.

"Well, bottoms up then Doc," he said handing her the cup.

"Just a warning, if I pass out, that's normal."

"What!"

The Doctor drank the medicine. "One more thing," she said sluggishly, "it's not a coma til I'm sleep for two days." Then she passed out.

~

Graham waited a half hour or so, making sure she was as well as could be under the circumstances, tucked her in, and went to Ryan's room. 

"It's open,"Yasmin called softly when he knocked on the door.

When he opened it what he saw had him instantly worried. Ryan was sleeping and tear streaks were obvious on his face. Yasmin was laying next to him, holding his hand in hers.

"What happened?" Graham asked softly.

"He has bruises from the guards."

Graham knew that wasn't all there was to it, and while he could appreciate that Yasmin did not want to betray something that Ryan had told her privately, at the same time, he hated seeing Ryan upset, and not knowing the situation well enough to help him . 

"They wanted us to have...a honeymoon," Ryan whispered. "She was thirteen, and those bastards expected me to-"

"Oh Ryan," Graham said sitting close to him on the bed. "Can I hug you?" Ryan nodded, and Graham wasted no time pulling him into a hug. 

"I'm going to go check on the Doc," Yasmin said softly.

"They wanted me to… and , I couldn't do that… I just… Gramps, even thinking about it made me sick," Ryan continued once Yasmin had closed the door.

"I know, Ryan, I know. They didn't give you a choice."

"If I didn't they were gonna kill us cause their laws said so, how sick is that?" Ryan asked with a humorless laugh.

Graham just held him. No wonder the poor boy was so torn up. "I'm so proud of you Ryan."

"For bawling like a baby?" he asked with a small laugh.

"For telling me what upset you, and for trusting me not to make it worse, but most importantly, for being the type of man you are. I'm so proud to be part of your family Ryan."

"I'm proud too. To have you as my Grandpa, I mean, and thanks."

"For what?"

"For listening to me, and for caring about me even when I didn't make it easy for ya."

"You are worth all of it and more. I love you Ryan, even when our relationship was strained, I felt that way, and you give me more reasons to love you everyday. Even if you still hated me I would love you because that spark that made your Nan so special is in you too. You're so much like her, Ryan."

"I never hated ya, I hated that I didn't. No one was special enough for my Nan but she chose ya. Ya made her so happy, and after all this traveling and opening up, I can see why."

"Now you've got me crying," Graham said with a gentle smile.

Ryan smiled back at him. Ten minutes ago, he didn't think he would feel happy again for at least a few days, and he knew that the feelings might come back to haunt him, but he had Yaz, and Graham to help him through it, and he also knew The Doctor would too in that eccentric way of hers. 

"How was the Doc when you left her?" Ryan asked feeling a little bad for running off when she was sick, partly because she had to save him.

"Resting," Graham answered. "But I think there was more wrong with her than could be caused by a dip or two in cold water."

“Do you think she’s mad at me? If I didn’t need saving she wouldn’t be as sick as she is.”

“No, she just seemed tired.”

“Think she would mind if I went to see her?”

“She said she would sleep for a while,” Graham told him, “I’m a bit worried, she didn’t sound well.”

“Come on, Gramps, let’s go watch over her for a bit.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, after all, she might be scared if she wakes up alone.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fluff (and the Doctor being Little) in the next one (hopefully and likely since I took the original ending of this one, and will use it for the beginning of the next).


End file.
